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Teacher resuscitates Cape Town High School’s library amid dwindling literacy rates

Teacher resuscitates Cape Town High School’s library amid dwindling literacy rates
The Cape Town High School's library started in a room fit for a small office. Aphiwe Sigadi, a highschool teacher with a strong belief that reading paves the way to excellence, involved the students in a donation drive. "They are really taking ownership of what they’ve built with him,” said Liesle Van Egeren, the school's former principal.Consent forms obtained for the learners featured. (Photo: Aphiwe Sigadi)
Nicola Amon
By Nicola Amon
13 Dec 2024
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It ‘didn’t sit right’ with Aphiwe Sigadi that a school in the middle of the bustling Mother City had no library. For the high school teacher, reading has been a bridge to the world, to excellence and to self-expression. So he decided to undertake the arduous task of reviving the library, with hopes of inspiring his students along the way.

Cape Town High School has been without a library for the past four years. But six months ago, a new teacher, having barely set foot on the school grounds, decided to take on the arduous task of reviving it. 

Aphiwe Sigadi, born in the Eastern Cape, said that it “didn’t sit right” that a school, situated in the centre of the bustling Mother City, lacked a component he deemed essential in any educational institution.

No more than a month after he was employed, he began reaching out to non-governmental organisations, schools and private individuals to donate books. Donors included St Cyprian’s High School, the German International School and private individuals. 

Sigadi brought together a team of 30 learners, who he also took on excursions to museums and other libraries. 

Liesle van Egeren, the school’s former principal said the learners were “really excited” by the prospect of the library.

“They are really taking ownership of what they’ve built with him.”

One man’s will 


Thenjiwe Zome, who has taught history at Cape Town High School for the past 15 years, said that the school’s once fully functional library closed during Covid-19. The librarian left, and due to financial constraints the school was unable to hire a new one.

“The students had nowhere to study,” said Zome. “And no one among the educators had the drive. It was Mr Sigadi who revived the library.” 

“It’s amazing that he’s restarted it in such a short time,” said Van Egeren.

A medium for connection


Sigadi, a poet and winner of multiple poetry competitions, believes South Africa should urgently address its dwindling literacy rates. 

“You can’t excel in anything without being a reader,” he said.

Apart from the “eloquence” that comes with being a reader, Sigadi said exposing young people to different stories through literature played an essential role in personal development.

“Our stories are not isolated. We are who we are because of the experiences of others,” said Sigadi.

According to an article published in Daily Maverick, a panel of education experts predicted that 69% of 10-year-old pupils in South Africa would be unable to read for meaning in 2026.

The Cape Town High School's library started in a room fit for a small office. Aphiwe Sigadi, a highschool teacher with a strong belief that reading paves the way to excellence, involved the students in a donation drive. 'They are really taking ownership of what they’ve built with him,' said Liesle van Egeren, the school's former principal. (Photo: Aphiwe Sigadi)



Mary Metcalfe, professor of practice at the University of Johannesburg, said not being able to read with confidence put children at a “great disadvantage”.

“It’s about developing a relationship with the broader world outside of the immediate environment,” she said.

Read more: Urgent appeal to government to get cracking on a national action plan to halt illiteracy in SA

Metcalfe pointed out that being literate in English was key in the classroom. 

“For many children in the country, English is the medium of instruction after Grade 4,” she said. 

Reading to learn


However, “learning to read” is distinct from “reading to learn”, and there should be an increased focus on getting children to not only be literate, but confidently so, said Metcalfe.

“Here at the school, we are experiencing a huge failure in English,” said Sigadi.

Setting up the library was partly aimed at improving the students’ English skills, especially since all classes and exams were conducted in English, he said.

While Metcalfe acknowledged that English was important for “reading to learn”, she argued that it was just as important for children to be literate in other South African languages. 

“One of the tragedies of what we haven’t achieved over the past 30 years is that there are not enough books for readers of all ages for African languages,” said Metcalfe.

“If children don’t have access to texts that are age-appropriate, interesting and easily accessible, they are not going to be able to master reading at the right level. And this is a fundamental responsibility of the Department of Education,” she said. 

Expanding to rural areas


Reflecting on his time growing up in the Eastern Cape, Sigadi said the state of the education system was “really bad”. 

“You won’t find a library, but you’ll find a tuck shop and a tavern,” he said.

In an effort to mitigate this, Sigadi underwent a project of setting up a “shack library” in Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, a rural settlement in the Eastern Cape. Paying for the transport of books from the Western Cape to Eastern Cape out of his own pocket, Sigadi hopes that he might one day be able to expand this project by including donors.

Read more: Still no national plan to address SA’s reading crisis as percentage of children who can read for meaning declines

“In South Africa, reading is considered a luxury. It shouldn’t be that way,” he said. 

While the library now has close to what Sigadi estimates is 5,000 books, he wants it to expand further, and to install an electronic capturing system and repaint the walls. 

Van Egeren said the introduction of the library had a visible effect. Learners at the school began walking around with novels, having previously been “stuck to their phones”.

“The students stopped writing two weeks ago, but even then you see learners come for the library,” said Zome. DM

Daily Maverick reached out to the Department of Basic Education but had not received a response by the time of publication.

To donate books please contact Aphiwe Sigadi at [email protected] or Cape Town High School at 021 424 2168.

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